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Ranji Trophy: Delhi bag 3 points

Trailing Delhi by 329 runs on first innings, Tami Nadu batted out the final day to salvage a point from the round-four match.

New Delhi: Arun Karthik's 121 not out led Tamil Nadu's dogged resistance in the second innings on the final day to salvage a point with a draw but not before Delhi took home three points on account of their a 329-run first innings lead in the Ranji Trophy round-four tie a the Feroz Shah Kotla.

Delhi - having made 555 for 4 declared in their first innings - bowled the visitors out for 226 to take the mammoth lead. Mohit Sharma, Unmukt Chand, Shikhar Dhawan and Vaibhav Rawal all scored centuries for the hosts, which was backed by Parvinder Awana taking four wickets and Pawan Suyal three.

But there was no such success for the Delhi bowlers in the second innings after they enforced follow-on late on day three, which ended with TN 2 for no loss. The ball was still just two overs old at the start of day four on Tuesday, but without any noticeable movement.

Arun Karthik and Abhinav Mukund recovered from their first innings failure to stitch a 100-run partnership. Arun Karthik was the more dominant of the two TN openers, not holding back on anything even remotely there to be hit. Mukund played second fiddle but with resolute defence, which Delhi couldn't breach until the penultimate over before lunch.

Trying to hit left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra over mid-on, Mukund neither got height not distance and reached only as far as Rajat Bhatia who pouched it easily before umpires called lunch at 101 for 1. Mukund made 38.

Delhi struck soon after lunch to make it 117 for 2 with Mishra's second wicket and send back Baba Aparajith lbw for 9. With Delhi still 222 runs ahead and almost two sessions left to play, Arun Karthik and S Badrinath had a job to do.

Badrinath, who made 19 in the first innings, had a well-set Arun Karthik in the middle to get cues on how the wicket was playing. And when the opener deposited Mishra over mid-wicket for a six that took him to 77, it gave Badrinath the hint that there were no demons in the track.

But the TN run machine let Arun Karthik take centrestage, who was by now in total control. Dhawan then asked part-timer Vaibhav Rawal to provide him a wicket but he came up with two juicy full-tosses that helped Arun Karthik reach his hundred. Two boundaries over mid-wicket off those gifts from Rawal took Arun Karthik to 101, and soon it was tea at 191 for 2 in 68 overs.

The teams went through the motions post tea, which was evident in Dhawan bringing on Unmukt Chand to bowl his offbreaks. Arun Karthik and Badrinath kept milking the bowlers, but not long before the players shook hands to settle for a draw with TN at 220 for 2. Badrinath remained unbeaten at 45. Vikas Mishra ended with figures of 2 for 64 in 24 overs.